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Gina stared into the mirror while her mother braided her long dark hair. The room was filled with the chatter of bridesmaids and female relatives all getting dressed and made up, or assisting with the process. Small pearls and baby’s breath were delicately woven into her hair while her mother prattled on about how excited she was to see her baby girl finally getting married and settling down.
Gina rolled her eyes at the ‘finally’ part. She wasn’t even thirty yet and her family had been ready to write her off as a spinster until she had started dating Rafe. Although their first year together had been rocky, after she had come to accept that her boyfriend was a werewolf things had settled between them and their relationship blossomed.
It was no easy task dating a werewolf prince, or Beta, as the title was referred to in the pack. Rafe had a lot of responsibilities to tend to, including diplomacy with other packs as well as other species. And yet, despite all of them, he had fallen head over heels for the quiet librarian.
It had taken quite a bit of adjustment on Gina’s part, especially once she learned that most of the supernatural and fairy tale creatures she read about were real, but Rafe had guided her through this new world with gentle patience. In fact, he still found great amusement whenever Gina would learn something new about their secret world and stare at him with amazement.
As much as he loved to joke around, Rafe was a very serious man. However his boyish charisma made him well suited to his duty as a diplomat. While he never belittled anyone’s concerns, he did encourage a lighthearted approach to life. There were few matters he did not laugh about, one of those being when someone voiced the thought that a human did not have a place among the supernatural species.
It was a rare occasion when she had seen his ferocious temper flare up, but there was no other issue that riled him up as much as someone who looked down upon the humans as if they were unworthy to be privileged to the world that they lived in. Rafe was fiercely protective of Gina and would not stand to hear such ignorant mutterings. These brief glimpses of his temper had proven beyond a doubt that as long as Rafe was around, she had no need to worry about any harm coming to her.
Gina was pulled from her thoughts as a bobby pin was jabbed tightly into her scalp and she winced while her mother muttered something about how she wasn’t holding still. In the mirror, Gina could see her six bridesmaids going through a milder version of her primping.
Gina loved the strapless mermaid gowns that she had decided on. The shimmering teal and sea foam colored fabric was elegant against all of the different skin tones of the girls, and with their matching teal chokers and pearl earrings she thought they really did look magical.
Of course, she was a whole other version of magical in her dress, a sweetheart ball gown with sleeves that fell off of her shoulders and flowing ruffles that made her feel like Cinderella.
Her mother gently tilted her head down as she finished pinning up Gina’s hair. Staring at the unnecessarily tall heels she had been strapped into, Gina wished for her familiar flats. She wondered how Leila, her maid of honor and Rafe’s sister, had talked her into these monstrosities. Then again, she had talked Gina into a great number of things that ordinarily, she would have never considered.
When she looked back up, Gina could see Leila directly behind her, having finished her dressing well before anyone else. However, how could you compete with the experience of a professional model, especially one that was also a werewolf?
She was a dazzling creature with a slim muscular frame that curved in all the right places. The curves of the dress highlighted her figure, and the color was vibrant against her darkly bronzed skin and brought out her bright blue eyes. The pearls in her hair and her earrings sparkled against her jet-black hair done up in a halo braid. Her winged eyeliner was sharp enough to cut, but was softened by the shimmering eye shadow and the dusting of powder on her cheeks.
Although all of the bridesmaids had identical dresses, hairstyles, and make up, Leila definitely stole the spotlight from them all. It wasn’t something she did intentionally, let alone maliciously, but Gina had overheard a couple of her other bridesmaids gossiping jealously about the model. A couple of Gina’s friends that she’d had since high school were doubly upset about Leila’s beauty as well as not getting to be the maid of honor despite their long standing history with the bride.
“How are you feeling?” Leila asked as she helped fasten the triple strand pearl necklace on Gina while her mother was off to fetch the veil.
“Oh you know,” Gina laughed nervously, “just running over all the things that could go wrong in my mind.”
Leila smiled both knowingly and reassuringly as she planted a kiss in the top of her head. “Don’t worry about the shoes, we practiced that walk a hundred times.”
“But I-”
“I’ll make sure we bring your flats out for the reception,” Leila promised. “Now smile for me.”
Gina did and her soon to be sister-in-law did some quick searching across the cluttered vanity table before finding the perfect shade of lip-gloss. After the application, Gina took Leila’s hands in her own.
“How do I look?”
Without hesitation, Leila answered, “If this wasn’t a wedding, my brother would have to fight off every other man here to keep you all to himself.”
Gina laughed. She knew Leila’s words were sincere. Just outside the door, she could hear her mother going over checklists and making sure that everything was in order. The familiar stern voice calmed her nerves and Gina knew that everything would run smoothly in her mother’s capable hands.
“Alright, I have the bouquets here, and Gina’s veil. Kate is supposed to be getting the kids dressed,” she said with the authority that only the mother of the bride could possess. “Tanya is supposed to have the flowers ready at the archway for the flower girls. And the guests need to be seated by 5 o’clock...”
*****
RAFE HAD PICKED UP Gina for dinner at 5 o’clock that March evening, six months ago. It had been raining all day. It was that light springtime rain that sparkled with sunlight and brought out the smell of warm fresh earth. Gina had been shelving books about biology, courtesy of the upcoming high school science fair, when warm arms reached around her.
In her ear she heard Rafe’s voice, “Mmmm, I’m so hungry.”
Gina laughed as he took the books from her arms and spun her around to look up at him. She threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “What are you hungry for?”
“Well I think you know the answer to that.” He winked as he flashed her his devilish smile. “But I think we’ll start with some Italian food down at Georgio’s before we get to that.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Gina took the books back from Rafe. “Just let me finish up here.”
Rafe took the stack back from her and teased her with his height by holding the books up out of her reach. “I already talked to Charlotte, she said I could steal you away and she’d take care of things here.”
Huffing with mock annoyance, Gina managed to take the books back again. “I can at least put these away. And then I’m going to check with Charlotte to make sure you aren’t trying to get me into trouble.”
Letting out a soft chuckle, Rafe allowed her to shelve the books with his arms wrapped around her waist. When she finished, Gina leaned back and rested her head briefly on his shoulder and Rafe kissed her exposed neck. “Can I take you now?”
“I thought we were doing that after dinner,” Gina responded and they both laughed at their immaturity.
Rafe walked her to the front desk to retrieve her jacket and purse. The other librarian, Charlotte, was sitting at the computer and writing the reminder emails to the patrons who had overdue books. The quirky middle-aged woman insisted to Gina that she would finish up everything and that she go enjoy herself with Rafe.
They walked out the door arm in arm into the light, persistent drizzle. They laughed as the droplets clung to their hair and rolled down their intertwined arms. She loved how he looked in the rain, and how it reflected the evening sunlight.
It made his sharply chiseled brow and jawline more prominent. And the way it dripped from his button nose past those full lips made her giddy. His long, dark eyelashes glittered when he blinked the rain away, and she was momentarily lost in the depths of his caramel colored eyes.
Returning to herself, Gina pulled an umbrella out of her purse and Rafe held it over them as they walked down the street.
Georgio’s was on the opposite side of the town square from the library. There weren’t many restaurants in the small farming town, but Georgio’s was the best. It was what some people referred to as the ‘fancy’ restaurant since it had centerpieces on all the tables and didn’t have a jukebox.
When they entered they were greeted by the hostess, a blushing high school girl who clearly watched too many makeup tutorials on YouTube. She took them to a table for two on the far side of the restaurant where not too many others had been seated yet.
As they glanced over the familiar menus Rafe asked Gina about her day and she about his. Naturally, their conversation turned to their house. At the beginning of the year, Rafe had bought a house and asked Gina to move in with him. After the server had taken their orders, they began to discuss details of the kitchen they were currently remodeling while they enjoyed a bottle of wine. The food was as excellent as always when it arrived and their idle conversation continued through the meal.
Afterwards, they ordered cherry cheesecake for dessert and Rafe pulled out his phone. “I wanted to know-”
The device slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor. Gina smiled and leaned forward, but Rafe was already out of his chair to retrieve it.
As he knelt down to pick up the phone, he pulled out a small box from his pocket. He looked up at Gina.
“I wanted to know,” he opened the box, “if you’ll marry me.”
Gina was speechless and her mouth hung open. She stared at the ring inside of the box. It was had alternating sapphires and diamonds in a white gold setting and a marquise cut center stone. Still unable to speak, she nodded as he reached for her hands and slipped the ring on her finger.
Distantly, she could hear the soft “awww” and clapping from everyone else in the restaurant. She could feel the tears running down her face as the little metal band slipped around her finger and the diamond caught the candlelight.
Rafe stood and pulled Gina to her feet as well. His soft hands brushed away the tears from her cheeks before gently taking hold of her and kissing her. The small crowd cheered for them.
The server brought them their dessert in a to-go box and Rafe handed her a stack of bills. Then he scooped Gina up in his arms provoking another round of cheers from the patrons and staff of Georgio’s. Gina laughed and kissed him as they made their exit out into the evening rain.
*****
BUTTERFLIES WELLED up inside of Gina as she stood and accepted all the compliments of her bridesmaids and the other women who had helped them all get dressed. She felt like a precarious stilt walker in her heels, but she was steadily balanced, even as the women all took turns coming up and hugging her.
All of the girls departed to take their place for the wedding. Gina waited anxiously at the doorway of the dressing room. She could see down the short hallway to foyer of the back door where the bridesmaids and groomsmen waited for their cue. From the other end of the hallway, the smell of the food being prepared for the reception wafted towards Gina and the butterflies in her stomach settled slightly at the familiarity of food.
Outside on the patio figures were moving to take their seats. It wasn’t a huge wedding, but there were still roughly 300 guests who had sent in their RSVP and they knew for certain that there would be people showing up who hadn’t. Gina was glad they had gone with an outdoor wedding rather than the church. The town’s church was nice, but a bit on the dark and gloomy side.
It was too kind of the pack leader to offer his estate for the wedding and reception. The grandeur of the plantation-style house lent a sort of elegance to the wedding that the charming old church never would have been capable of. Additionally, with the reception being held here as well, they only had to decorate one location.
The weather had turned out perfect and even from here she was in love with the colors of the bridesmaids’ dresses against the bright reds and oranges of the leaves outside. Taking a deep breath, she heard the chiming of the town clock tower in the distance as 5 o’clock struck. Next, the music started and the wedding party began to make their way out the door.
Gina turned to her mother, who was smiling brightly as she tried to hold back the tears. She handed Gina her bouquet of teal roses and white lilies.
“Your father would be so proud.”
Suddenly, at the mention of her father, Gina felt tears of her own threaten. Words failed her and so she smiled and hugged her mother. After all these years she still wore the same perfume, and Gina briefly remembered her childhood. She remembered all the times that she and her cousins would have pretend weddings as little kids, and then planning dream weddings with her friends when she was a teenager. Of course back then she dreamed of marrying Brad Pitt.
“Come now,” her mother said as she regained her composure, “we need to get out there.”
Gina laughed nervously as she held her mother’s arm. The last of the bridesmaids had just walked out of the door. As they reached the end of the hallway, the music shifted to announce the bride. Taking a deep breath, Gina stepped outside.
The back porch was lined with Ionic columns and between the two center columns a white archway had been set up with teal and white tulle, and flowers. Her heels were solid against the hard wood as she walked. The sound seemed to echo when she stopped at the top of the porch stairs.
She could feel the eyes of everyone upon her, but her attention could only focus on the end of the stone path where Rafe stood waiting for her in front of the manmade pond. Swallowing hard, Gina gathered up the front of her skirt as she had practiced with Leila and descended the steps.
With every step, Gina could feel the emotion building up in her throat. She wanted to cry but held back the flood only for the sake of her makeup. Instead, she smiled brightly as she stared into Rafe’s eyes.
Rafe stared back into her eyes. His smile was calming as she walked down the stone path. Gina blocked everyone else out of her mind and focused solely on his smile and how it lit up his golden caramel colored eyes.
As she neared the end of the aisle she saw something creep into Rafe’s eyes. His smile began to drop and Gina heard a voice behind her.
“How can you possibly think this is a good idea?” A voice behind her called out. She recognized that voice as Blake, a young cousin and member of the werewolf pack who didn’t approve of Rafe’s decision to marry her. It was an opinion she had voiced on many occasions.
Gina was stopped in her tracks as a foot stepped down on the train of her dress. Suddenly everything was overwhelming. She could feel all the eyes on her as some of the guests let out gasps. There was no stopping her momentum as she pitched forward.
“How dare you!” she heard her mother exclaim.
“Blake! What are you doing?” Another voice from the crowd yelled out.
Gina saw herself about to crash into the stone when a pair of strong arms caught her. She looked up and saw that Rafe saved her. She was too stunned to react as Rafe straightened her and held her close.
Gina winced as she saw Blake in a tight black dress and a scowl on her face. Beneath her heel was the torn hem of Gina’s dress. She had a finger pointed accusingly towards her.
“You don’t deserve to be with him! There’s no place for you at his side,” she cried out as the ushers tried to escort her off the premises.
As they took hold of her she lashed out at them. Her hands began to transform into claws as she struck out at the two men and she tore their jackets.
“Get out her out of here,” Rafe said, his voice an unsettling growl that almost sounded calm in his anger.
Blake shrieked as she was pulled away from the crowd. Her echoing threats filled the air as she was taken around the side of the house away from the ceremony. Everything fell into silence as her yelling ended.
Gina returned to herself and realized that the entirety of the wedding party had stepped up to surround her protectively. Leila’s hand was gripping her forearm tightly.
After a moment, it was Leila who broke the silence. “Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get this show on the road.”
This seemed to jolt everyone out of their shock of the scene that had unfolded before them. Guests returned to their seats and Rafe escorted her the rest of the way down the aisle.
Gina looked up at him in awe at his composure. Rafe looked back at her and his eyes melted back into liquid caramel and a small smirk crawled across his lips.
Leaning towards her he whispered, “By the way, you look amazing.”
*****
THE REST OF THE WEDDING ceremony went smoothly, although that could have partially been attributed to people’s remaining surprise from earlier. Either way, when Rafe and Gina were pronounced man and wife, everyone stood and cheered.
When she kissed her new husband, Gina quite forgot about the threats that Blake had made earlier. The violent young wolf was far from her mind when Rafe took her face in his hands and kissed her with the same passion he’d had since their very first date. Her head was swimming as the chorus of whooping cheers, whistles, and applause assaulted her ears.
Their lips still attached, he picked up Gina and spun her around. She giggled and clung to him as her veil slipped off and clattered to the ground along with her shoes. Rafe kissed her again as he carried her back up the stone pathway to the porch as they were showered with rice by the guests. After climbing the steps, he set Gina down on her bare feet and she was glad to have her sense of balance back as she felt the smooth polished wood beneath her.
Rafe held up his arms to gather everyone’s attention before announcing, “Dinner is ready, if everyone could make their way to the banquet room and take their seats while I find my wife a new pair of shoes...”
The crowd tittered with laughter as Rafe picked Gina up again and carried her inside. They heard the rumblings and rustlings of the crowd preparing to come in from outside as he took her upstairs to where his own dressing room had been. Gina kissed his neck as he brought her into the large bedroom and threw her down on the bed, the both of them giggling like drunken teenagers.
Rafe climbed on top of Gina and she pulled him close as their lips met. They kissed for a long minute before breaking away for air.
“Well, my wife,” Rafe said and the words sent an electrifying spark of glee through Gina, “we have a few minutes while we wait for everyone to get settled downstairs.”
Gina giggled while his hand pulled and searched for the hem of her dress. “I don’t want to have to put this dress on twice.”
Rafe found the bottom of the skirt and lifted it up above her knees. “Well then, maybe I’ll just have to eat my dessert first.”
“Well I can’t have you spoiling your appetite,” she laughed and then sighed as his fingers found their way under the skirts and up her legs.
“No?” He laughed playfully. He pulled her skirt up to reveal the white lace panties she had bought for the occasion. Pulling at the edges of the lace he commented, “Looks like you wrapped my present up for me.”
“Yup,” she said teasingly, “and you have to wait to open it until after you’ve had your supper and opened up the rest of your presents.”
“Oh, yes, ma’am.” He pressed his nose to the lace and inhaled, “but you’re making it so hard for me to be a good boy.”
Gina vibrated with her excitement. As much as she wanted to forget about the reception and skip straight to the honeymoon, there were roughly three hundred people waiting downstairs for them to come and begin the dinner. Besides that, the dress was complicated enough to get on once. She didn’t want to have to try to do it again with only Rafe to help her.
She had no doubt in his ability to get it off, but on...that was a whole different story. Sitting up, Gina met Rafe’s lips for a kiss as three of his fingers found their way around the edges of her panties and inside of her.
“Can’t I have a little appetizer?”
Gina moaned softly. “Behave yourself.”
Chuckling, Rafe removed his fingers and licked them one by one, starting with his ring finger, while letting out a small moan of his own. “Mmmm...you taste so good.”
Gina reached out and grabbed his hand before he could lick the last finger and stuck it in her own mouth, tasting the sweetness of herself on his skin. Rafe’s eyes lit up with a new excitement as he raised his eyebrows.
“You sure you don’t want to just sneak out the back and start the honeymoon now?”
Laughing, Gina kissed him deeply before responding. “No, I’m not going to let Leila have all of that wedding cake to herself.”
“Good point,” he laughed as he stood and pulled his new wife to her feet. “We need to find you some shoes then don’t we.”
Just then, they heard the clattering of heels ascending the stairs and a moment later Leila appeared with Gina’s flats as if she had been summoned by her brother’s words.
As she entered the doorway she let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Good, you’re both still dressed. Everyone is ready for you to come and start dinner.”
*****
THE RECEPTION WAS DULL in comparison to the wedding. There were no outbursts besides a few crying children as the evening wore on and they became tired. After dinner Gina and Rafe had their obligatory cutting of the cake followed by their first dance.
As they spun around the room to Open Arms by Journey, Gina rested her head on his shoulder. Rafe kissed her cheek and whispered how happy he was to have her there in his arms.
Gina smiled and looked up into his face. He looked absolutely boyish with a grin spread across his lips and a slight twinkling in his eye.
“I love you,” he said as they spun around the room, pretending no one else existed.
“I love you, too.”
They kissed and the room swirled around them. Gina’s dress softly swished across the floor along to the rhythm of the song. She was glad they had taken those dance classes weeks ago and she didn’t have to fret about stepping on his toes, or him stepping on hers.
In her peripheral vision, she could see other couples joining them out on the dance floor. Soon enough, there were swirling colors moving in time all around them and Gina felt like they were finally beyond being the center of attention for a moment.
However as soon as the song ended, glasses were being tapped and the chanting of “kiss, kiss” started up. Gina laughed as Rafe pretended he didn’t understand the request. He motioned to himself and Gina in mock incredulity as the chanting intensified.
Finally someone shouted, “Oh just kiss her already!”
Rafe obliged and without warning, he dipped Gina down. Her new husband kissing her deeply silenced her shocked squeal of surprise, while the crowded hall erupted into cheers around them.
Afterwards, it was time for Gina to toss the bouquet. Her bridesmaids along with all of the other single girls and women all crowded in the middle of the dance floor as they vied for a spot up front to catch the symbolic bunch of flowers.
Gina stood at the far end of the hall and turned her back to the clamoring group of women. She waited a moment while someone started up a drumroll. All of the onlookers joined in, beating on tables or their laps. The noise increased until it suddenly all fell silent and Gina threw her arms back with all her might and sent the bouquet flying through the air.
For a split second there was only silence before the flowers reached the girls and all hell broke loose as they squealed and grappled with each other to retrieve the flowers. Gina turned around to watch the chaos that ensued. It was highly entertaining.
The height of the excitement was when a younger cousin of her’s, who was about 10 years old walked out of the bathroom to see the madness that was going on. She nonchalantly approached the horde of struggling women and swiped the bouquet neatly up off of the floor.
The entire hall erupted into hysterical laughter as the little girl walked off before any of the other girls in the tussle even noticed what happened. Gina was doubled over in a fit of giggles.
Then they brought out a chair for the next tradition that was to take place. Gina blushed because she had completely forgotten about this part. The groomsmen walked her over to the chair, which sat in the middle of the hall for all to watch.
Gina sat down, partially nervous, but mostly embarrassed. All around her the crowd tittered and let out a low “ooh” as they got ready for the next part of the night’s entertainment.
Rafe made a show of encouraging the crowd as he walked up to where his new wife sat in the chair. He got down on his knee and raised his hands in the air to quiet the crowd.
Trying to restrain her laughter, Gina sat as still as she could while Rafe fingered the hem of her dress. The groomsmen began to chant and soon the crowd joined in.
Rafe teased them by slipping his hands up under her dress. Gina was giddy as his hands lightly grasped her ankles and slowly pushed up to her knees. His touch was so soft and she blushed deeper as she felt herself getting excited and the crowd’s chanting increased.
Flashing his devilish smile, Rafe ducked his head underneath her skirts. Gina took a quick breath as the room erupted into whoops and hollers and she felt Rafe’s hot breath between her knees. Her face was crimson with embarrassment as she felt his breath tickle her panties. She felt the gentle warmth of his tongue press against the fabric and she wanted to let out the most indignant noise, but managed to keep her mouth shut.
Next, she felt his teeth graze her thigh as he took hold of her garter and began to pull it off. He worked it down her leg and finally reemerged from underneath her dress, the treasure clutched between his teeth. As he stood, the onlookers cheered and Rafe threw his hands up in the air in victory.
Taking the garter from his mouth, Rafe reached out and pulled Gina up from the chair and kissed her. This caused another cheer to erupt from the crowd. Laughing, Gina stayed by his side as the single men formed a mob behind them.
They jostled each other, awaiting their prize and the drumroll began again. The tension built much in the same way as Rafe pulled the garter back on his fingers like a slingshot. The drumroll increased until the room was thundering and then the moment of silence followed as the small scrap of fabric was released up into the air.
All at once the guys pounced as the garter floated down. They tackled one another and were on the verge of violence when one of the groomsmen held up his trophy and proclaimed his victory. Another groomsman took it and stretched it around the victor’s head like a headband, causing everyone to crack up in a roar of laughter.
Amidst the laughter, Rafe pulled Gina close and kissed her. Then he whispered in her ear, “I love you, darling, but when can we get out of here?”
Still laughing, she whispered back, “Let’s sneak upstairs after this dance.”
*****
GINA COULDN’T GET ENOUGH of Rafe as he pressed her up against the wall of the hallway upstairs. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist so he could carry her the rest of the way down the hall to his room without having to unlock his lips from hers.
He fumbled for a second to close and lock the door behind them, but once the latch was in place his hand immediately reached for the back of Gina’s dress. Swiftly, he made his way through the pearl buttons and his warm hands were upon the bare flesh of her back. Simultaneously, Gina had loosened and untied his bowtie and begun to unbutton his shirt, revealing the broad chest underneath covered in a fine coat of dark hair.
Gina kneaded her fingers in his chest hair, wildly turned on. The two could not press their bodies close enough, and they were wearing far too much clothing. With only their gasping breaths to communicate, they unlatched themselves from one another to strip off the heavy fabrics that encased them.
As she shimmied out of the heavy skirts of her dress, Rafe pulled her hips back against him. She could feel his hardened member throbbing for her through the fabric of his pants.
Straightening, she leaned back against her new husband and felt the bare skin of his torso against her back. Rafe kissed and nibbled her neck as his hands ran up and down the length of her arms, pulling one hand behind her to feel his wedding present for her as it throbbed with longing.
Gina sighed as her body began to tremble with her own longing. She pressed herself against him, teasing and begging for him to take her already. Turning around, she reached behind herself and undid the clasps of her bra.
It fell to the floor as Rafe lifted her up again, holding her high so that his mouth could caress and suckle her exposed breasts. Her head fell back as she sighed out a delighted moan.
He gripped her butt firmly as he carried her over to the bed and laid her down on top of the sheets. Gina watched in anticipation as her new husband stood over her and his muscles flexed and rippled as he worked to undo the belt and pants that were keeping his excitement constrained.
She bit her lip as she watched, she could feel herself dripping wet and soaking through her panties. Somehow being newlyweds and there being a party of a few hundred just downstairs celebrating for them made this all the more exciting. The bass of the dance music pulsed through the floor but offered nothing but a beat for their bodies to begin synchronizing to.
“I hope you didn’t want to save these,” Rafe said as he took off his pants and reached for her panties. He leaned over her and kissed her hip sensually before ripping the white lace off of her.
Gina gasped with delight as the fabric disappeared and was immediately replaced by his probing tongue swimming through her wetness. His arms held her legs firmly in the air on either side of his head and her whole body pulsed with each flick of his tongue over her clitoris until she was whimpering and trembling with all of the sensation.
Gently biting the inside of her thigh, Rafe pulled back from her and stood. Gina’s eyes opened wide with the reprieve and she reached out for him, begging without words.
Climbing on top of her Rafe stared back into her eyes, both of them were breathing heavily. Gina wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her, the warmth of his body pressed against her as their lips met.
The taste of herself on his lips drove her wild and she pressed for deeper kisses. Rafe obliged, taking hold of her, his fingers knotting in her hair as he pulled her into himself. She sighed into his kiss, melting beneath his touch.
Then she felt him inside of her. A new excitement built as he thrust deep inside of her, and Gina felt her ecstasy climb as his mouth moved from hers, to her earlobe, and down her neck. His teeth grazed against her soft exposed flesh as she trembled beneath him.
His heavy breath turned to grunting as the rhythm of their thrusting hips increased beyond the rhythm of the bass through the floor until their bodies rocked in double time. Their breathing became ragged and Gina’s fluttering moans reached a trembling pitch that signaled her coming orgasm.
Rafe thrust hard and deep inside of her, the force tipping her over the edge and sending her body into convulsive quakes as he reached his own peak. Letting out a moan that verged on a roar, he met his release inside of her and collapsed over her trembling body.
They lay there for a few minutes, not saying a word as their muscles quaked and their uneven breathing settled back into normal patterns. Gina held his head where he laid in the crook of her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair absentmindedly as she tried to control the shaking in her legs.
She could feel the wet stain of their sweat and cum pooling beneath her as she dripped onto the sheets. Rafe began to nuzzle her neck with light kisses and she moaned softly.
“How do you like married sex?”
“So much better,” she laughed. “It’s almost like you know what you’re doing now.”
*****
THE SOUND OF THE OCEAN waves crashing against the sandy beach had become familiar to Gina in the last few weeks. The honeymoon was nearly over, but the couple still woke up each morning with the same hot passion for each other that they had had on their wedding night.
The light touch of Rafe’s hands running over her bare skin in the grey hours of dawn woke Gina from her dreamless sleep. His hands were the single most relaxing thing she had ever felt, and they drifted over her body every morning as if they were exploring it again for the first time. They never tired of their travels, roaming over the soft curves as they crested on the hills of her shoulders and hips and descended into the valleys of her elbows, waist, and knees.
After a while, his hands were joined by his soft kisses. His breath was hot on her neck as he nibbled her earlobe and whispered, “Good morning, my love.”
“Mmmm,” she moaned as she rolled over to look into the liquid gold of his eyes. “Just another day in paradise.”
“For another week at least.”
“Do we have to go back?”
They both laughed, knowing they had abandoned their normal lives for far too long already. Gina needed to get back to work at the library, and Rafe had plenty of work backed up for him. More than a few individuals had been miffed that he had gone on an extended honeymoon in the first place when he was such an important individual in the community.
Gina cuddled up to Rafe and laid her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair as they both stared off into the quiet of their beach house bedroom. Kissing the top of her head, Rafe asked, “Well, what would you like for breakfast?”
“Hmmm....” She thought out loud. “How about sausage?”
“Wasn’t that your midnight snack?” Rafe laughed along with Gina as she sat up in bed and leaned over to kiss him. The first rays of light were just beginning to creep over the horizon and shine in through the windows.
Throwing his arms around her waist, Rafe turned her over and held himself above her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and pulled him down onto her. Their bodies pressed together as they kissed.
“Well are you going to get up and cook me anything or not?” she teased as Rafe pulled away.
He sat up and tugged lightly on his halfway hardened self. “This is what you meant, right? You did say sausage.”
Gina laughed. “Fix me a real breakfast and I’ll give you a morning treat.”
“Aren’t you the woman,” he joked as he got up out of bed. “How am I the one getting stuck in the kitchen?”
“Because you know if you send me in there we’d be in danger of burning this whole place down,” she laughed.
“True,” he groaned as he walked over to the kitchen area.
Gina admired his body as he moved. It was hard to believe that it had been nearly two whole months since they had been married. The first month they spent traveling, mostly in Europe. The second month they had spent at a beach house owned by the pack.
Aside from the excellent sex, Gina had enjoyed all the lazy vacations clichés from staying in bed all day, to lying out in the sun until she was tanned darker than she had ever been before.
Rafe moved around the kitchen and began to cook breakfast for the two of them. Within minutes the smell of frying sausage and eggs filled the air. Gina was quite entertained to watch her naked chef.
Breathing deeply, she was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea. She lay back in the bed for a second thinking it would pass. When it did not, she got up and bolted for the bathroom.
The sickness was sudden and she felt a feverish flash that ended as soon as the puking did. Turning on the water, she began to rinse her mouth with water from the sink faucet. Looking up into the mirror, she saw Rafe standing behind her looking quite confused.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he reached out to rub her back.
Gina was shaking lightly. Somehow she knew for certain when she answered. “I’m pregnant.”
Rafe’s jaw dropped for a moment before a bright beaming smile spread across his face. “Are you really?”
“Well I can’t think of any other reason I’d have morning sickness,” she answered.
Rafe spun her around and kissed her. Gina smiled back as she watched the exuberant joy spread across her husband’s face. He hugged her and kissed her over and over again asking if she was sure.
“Well we can always go by the drug store and pick up a test,” she told him. However she knew that she was right. She was over a week late for her period and this was morning sickness. Pregnancy was the logical conclusion.
Rafe was bouncing around the beach house unable to contain his excitement. While they had not planned on having kids immediately, he was in no way disappointed by this turn of events.
With all of the conversations they had had about children, Gina knew that Rafe was excited to be a father. He had been looking forward to it for years, wanting to raise a couple of kids and have that white picket fence kind of a family.
She smiled as she imagined him having that family of his dreams. It was all they had ever wanted besides one another. He was already dialing the phone, but she came over and stopped him.
“What’s wrong,” he asked.
“Nothing,” she smiled. “I just want to wait until we get back before we tell anyone. And I want to keep you to myself for a few more days too.”
Rafe kissed her. “I’ll schedule you a doctor’s appointment for as soon as we get back. Then we can announce it.”
*****
THE RETURN TO THEIR hometown and their regular lives was quite a bit more exciting than they expected. Once they had the doctor’s appointment and made the announcement, the small town buzzed with excitement.
Friends, family, and gossips of the town would stop in the library just to get the scoop about the baby. Aunts and cousins wanted to know if they had already put together a registry for the baby shower and if she had picked out the colors for the nursery.
Gina was a little annoyed with all the questions and gossip. She really just wanted to return to the peace and quiet of the library, but these women insisted on invading every inch of her privacy, even going so far as to try to touch her when she was barely even showing.
Suddenly, nothing was private or belonged to herself anymore. Gina felt like she had become public property. Strangers she hardly talked to asked her about intimacies and her bodily functions, and got offended when she refused to share such information.
They would huff and mutter about how they were only trying to be polite or helpful and Gina would momentarily feel guilty. Then she would remember that it was her body and they had no reason to feel entitled to it just because she was pregnant. Charlotte and Leila were a good support and both seemed to relish the opportunity to tell people to get lost and leave Gina alone.
Charlotte would offer to let Gina hide among the stacks to avoid unwanted visitors. She understood how awful it was to have unwanted community attention and so she offered what little help she could to her coworker. She made sure to keep from asking personal questions and instead resigned herself to being a listener.
Leila on the other hand, didn’t flinch at being a little nosy. However, she at least had the legitimate excuse of being the aunt. For the most part, most of her inquiries revolved around names and if she’d get to be the godmother. It was a far cry from old women that Gina didn’t know asking her how often she threw up or if she was often constipated.
Even worse for Gina was when people would reach out and touch her without reason or warning. It freaked her out when a hand would suddenly appear on her abdomen. Yet it bewildered her that they would take offense when she asked not to be touched, as if she had told them they shouldn’t sit on a public park bench. It infuriated Gina, especially as the pregnancy progressed and her temper grew even shorter than it was to begin with. As her child grew inside of her, fewer and fewer people gave her the basic respect she deserved.
Not only was Gina’s mundane life as a human unnecessarily stressful, but things were also strained in the realm of the supernatural as well. When they had returned from their honeymoon, Rafe had known he would be behind on his work and that it would cause a bit of a fuss. What he did not expect was for the entire world to stop revolving for two months he was gone. Without him there to direct the traffic, Rafe found that a good number of people in his offices simply did nothing at all.
To make matters worse, the announcement of Gina’s pregnancy created a few very different reactions amongst the non-humans of the community. Most of the pack was joyful and supportive. They whole-heartedly rejoiced and were eager to lend a hand in any way possible to the newlyweds.
Then there were the less supportive groups. Some were simply uneasy about how the mutt child would turn out and whether or not he would have stunted abilities if he had any abilities at all. Rafe and Gina could admit that this was a concern that they had considered when they realized that Gina was pregnant, however, they also knew that they would love their child whether he or she was able to turn into a full wolf or not.
Still, the rumors nagged at the back of her mind. What if her child was born mundane? How would he or she take their place among the pack?
These questions sometimes kept Gina awake at night, until Rafe would come to bed and wrap his arms around her. He would gently remind her that leadership was not about being the biggest wolf in the pack, but being able to wield authority over the biggest dog, and sometimes that required a more human touch.
Gina would accept this and snuggle in Rafe’s warm arms, refusing to acknowledge the other group that existed, and their very dangerous ideals. Well, she would try to ignore them, but they made sure she was well aware of their presence and their belief that her child was an abomination.
Blake was the most vocal advocate of this opinion. Not only did she make sure everyone knew of her disdain for the coming child, but also openly threatened the unborn infant, Gina, Rafe, and even those who supported their marriage and child. It was disconcerting how much support she had managed to drum up not only amongst the wolves, but also getting other supernatural creatures to side with her opinions as well.
She was creating quite a mess politically and threatened a great number of Rafe’s diplomatic policies by stirring up strong opinions about the unborn mutt child. Gina could see in her husband’s eyes how weary he was trying to put out the political fires that Blake was setting with complete disregard to her entire pack as she rallied for attention and support to oppose the ideas of the pack leadership and their backing of Gina and Rafe’s family.
*****
GINA AND RAFE WERE counting down the days until their new child would be coming into the world. There were only eight weeks left. Two months, before they would officially have their new son. According to the pack’s shaman, Gina’s child was to be a boy and a great prince.
The nursery had been furnished and the baby shower was set to take place later this afternoon. Her mother had set everything up. It was going to be a quiet, yet fun affair at Gina and Rafe’s house with a potluck lunch.
Gina did her best not to worry, but there were a million things about the shower, but mostly her baby, running through her mind that made her uneasy day in and day out.
In her mind she heard the whisperings of the werewolves and what the fate of a mutt was. They placed bets on whether or not her child would even be able to turn. She worried that the other werewolves would not think that she was worthy of being part of their pack if she could not produce a child that met the standards of their bloodline.
As she worried over all of these things, she watched her mother decorate the living room of her house. The light blue streamers hung down around the edges of the room and wrapped around the stair railing and banister. She could hear the clicking and whirring of the printer in the other room as it printed out sheets of games and trivia.
Pacing back and forth, she began to bite her nails while asking herself if the game she had picked out would be any fun. Would they appreciate the prizes or would they think they were too corny? Would Leila be back with the remaining party favors on time? Would her friends be arriving on time? Would they have preferred she have the party outside in this nice June weather?
“Gina.” Her mother’s strong voice called her away from her thoughts. “Can you go check on that cake in the oven?”
As of late, she had been prone to these trains of thought that fell into cataclysmic spirals of despair. It was one of the reasons that her baby shower had taken so long to plan. Gina had insisted that she wanted to plan it herself along with Leila, but her anxiety kept her full of excuses to postpone. However, Leila had reached out to her mother and she had promptly taken over the affair so as to assure her daughter would not be depriving herself of the traditional party.
“Hey, ladies,” Leila announced as she entered the through the front door, her arms laden with all of the last minute supplies Gina’s mother had sent her to fetch. She carried the shopping bags into the kitchen and the three women worked together to put everything where it needed to go.
They popped open bags of little plastic figurines and cheap tablecloths. Leila sprinkled the festive confetti over the covered tables with enthusiasm and set up the prizes that their friends would be competing for.
“When did you last check your registry?” Leila asked idly as they puttered about the house waiting for the guests to begin arriving.
“Earlier this morning,” Gina answered. “Why?”
“Oh nothing,” Leila said coyly as she rearranged the bowls of nuts and candies for the fifteenth time, “just that I’m probably the best sister-in-law ever, and my nephew is going to be the most stylin’ baby around.”
Gina smiled. Although Leila didn’t have any kids of her own, she had been an infinite font of knowledge for all of her questions about having a werewolf baby, and what she wasn’t able to answer she directed to the pack shaman. Still, both Leila and the pack shaman had cautioned Gina that her little mixed-breed could be a whole different kind of kid, and they shouldn’t expect him to behave just as any other little were-baby would.
After the party died down Leila sat with Gina and helped her write out thank you notes for all of the gifts she had received. The shower had been a lot of fun, and Gina had enjoyed watching all of her friends, both human and werewolf, get together and have a good time playing trivia and other games like the ‘Diaper Changing Olympics’.
Rafe arrived home and carefully picked his way across the living room full of presents to kiss Gina. “How was the shower?”
“Good,” she answered. “Tanya and her husband got something for you.”
She held up a pacifier with a large mustache attached to it.
“Awesome.” Rafe took it from her and jokingly stuck it in his mouth.
Gina and Leila burst out laughing.
“Told you he’d do it,” Gina said.
The trio goofed off for a while before Leila excused herself to go get ready for the pack run that night. She hugged Gina and promised her extended womb that he’d get to join her soon enough for a run.
After closing the door behind Leila, Rafe pulled Gina close and kissed the top of her head as she rested it against his chest. “Did you have fun today?”
“Yes,” she answered, “but I’m certainly worn out. How was your day?”
“Same as always,” he said. “Just a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense and people who talk too much about nothing.”
Rafe walked Gina back to the couch and sat down with her as she continued to go through the gifts and write the thank you notes. He’d joke about items and pretend he had no clue what they were for.
“Don’t you need to get ready to go for your run tonight?” Gina asked when she noticed that the sun had already gone down.
“Well, I suppose so,” Rafe shrugged. He rubbed a hand over her belly and asked, “You sure Junior doesn’t want to go running too?”
Gina laughed, “Not while he’s still inside of me.”
“Good point.” Rafe kissed her deeply and then kissed the top of her belly. “I shouldn’t be too long tonight. You going to be up when I get home?”
“Most likely,” she answered as she got up to walk to the door with him. “This little tyke is always up when you go running.”
Rafe laughed. “That’s my boy.”
*****
GINA SAT IN THE DINING room with the patio door open. In the distance, she could hear the howls of the pack as they congregated in the woods a few miles outside of town. The cool night air was welcoming and the chirruping of the crickets soothing.
Gina read aloud to herself and the baby from a book of Brother’s Grimm Fairy Tales. She had just finished reading Bremen Town Musicians when her baby began to kick and move around quite animatedly.
Taking a deep breath, Gina placed the book on the dining room table and stood. He was always active on nights when the pack went for a run, but tonight he was especially excited. She headed to the kitchen to make herself a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows to appease her craving.
As she sat back down in her chair, a sound from the living room caught Gina’s attention. She stretched her neck to look around the doorway, but couldn’t see anything.
“Rafe?”
There was no answer and so she picked up her book again as she sipped her hot chocolate. She flipped through the pages looking for the next story to read when she heard the distinct breaking of glass.
“Hello?” Gina stood and headed over towards the kitchen as a shadow moved across the doorway. She quietly slid the utensil drawer open as she called out, “Who’s there?”
A figured appeared in the living room doorway. It was Blake.
She was dressed all in black, her tangled brown hair suggested she had been with the pack at the run, but had separated from them to come here. Gina felt the handle of a steak knife in her hand and held it steadily behind her back.
“That mutt in you is an abomination,” Blake spat at her. “Rafe should have never gotten involved with you.”
“Well that’s your opinion,” Gina responded, “and you’re certainly entitled to it, but it’s not going to change anything.”
“True, but since he clearly can’t be reasoned with, there are other ways to remedy the situation.”
Blake’s hand began to vibrate as she began to shift and claws extended out of her fingers. Gina gripped the knife in her hand and took a defensive position. Outside she heard a chorus of howls much closer to her house than was comfortable. She could not discern whom it was letting out the call and assumed from Blake’s lack of reaction that it was not anyone who was going to protect her.
Letting out a growl, Blake stalked towards her and Gina positioned herself so that the kitchen island was between them. In her womb, she felt her baby fidgeting nervously as if he could sense the danger that he was in.
Taking a breath, Gina calmed her nerves and told herself that she wasn’t defenseless. She may not be a werewolf, but she was not about to roll over for one either.
Blake let out a yell and charged. As she leaped onto the top of the countertop between them she shifted completely into her wolf form.
Gina held up her left arm as the wolf sprang at her and slashed out with the knife in her right hand as she felt the teeth sink into her arm. She fought on pure instinct as she felt the claws tear into her. Her passive ways had completely disappeared in that moment and all she felt was the need to kill Blake to protect herself and her child.
A sudden crash through the patio door interrupted the fight and Gina turned in expectation of fighting off another assailant. Instead, the small group of wolves who had come through the door attacked Blake.
Gina stood still as she processed what was happening. Among the tumble of fur and teeth she recognized the black tipped ears of Rafe in his wolf form. She felt the drop in her adrenaline and suddenly realized that she was slick with blood.
Just as the nausea set in, she felt a pair of strong arms around her and Rafe’s voice in her ear. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but as she looked down at herself she recognized the deep tears in her own body. Her breathing was shallow as the edges of her vision dimmed. She could barely feel the kicking of her baby as she closed her eyes.
***
THE BEEPING OF MACHINES greeted Gina when she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Rafe slumped over in a chair, his head resting on the bed next to her. After a moment she recognized that it was a hospital bed that she was laying in. The beeping machines she heard were hooked up to herself.
As she tried to move, she woke up Rafe. He momentarily looked around the room as he tried to discern what was going on. When his eyes locked onto hers, he sprang up from the chair and his lips were upon hers.
“Gina, I-I thought-” He fumbled as he tried to find the words to say.
She ignored the aches of her body, glad to feel his arms around her. As his body pressed against hers, she noticed that there was something missing from herself. She breathed deeply and tried to speak. “Rafe...the baby.”
He released her and just then the door of the room opened and Leila and a nurse walked in together. A smile lit up Leila’s face. “Oh, you’re awake.”
In her arms she carried a small bundle of cloth. Beaming, she brought the bundle over to the couple and passed it off to Gina.
Rafe kissed the top of her head. “Gina, meet our son.”
The breath caught in her throat as she looked at the tiny face of her son, alive and well in her arms. She smiled as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Here they both were, strong and healthy.
“I know we hadn’t quite decided on a name yet,” Rafe said. “We thought we’d wait for you to wake up.”
Gina kissed her son’s forehead. “Aiden.”
THE END
